She sat watching the fire. She tried to lose herself in the dance of the flames. The pile of wood was dwindling and Jenny knew it wouldn't be long before the last piece was being tossed into the fireplace. What would they do then? Her back hurt from sitting on the hearth for so long. The acrid smoke burned her eyes as it lingered a moment just before getting sucked up the chimney.

The wood pile was out by the shed, but it was dark now and the snow was still coming down in thick billowing curtains. It wouldn't take much to get turned around out there.

The other thing was this guy, Patrick. He was watching her. Waiting for her to let her guard down. She reached over to stoke the fire and he jumped. His hand immediately went to his knife.

"Not a good idea to make any sudden moves," he said. His voice was quiet, with a lazy drawl that was tinged with meanness.

"The fire needs tending."

He nodded. The reflection of the flames danced across his face, giving him a monstrous look.

"You don't like me much, do you?"

A smile played across his lips.

Jenny knew he didn't want an answer. He was teasing, playing mind games with her. Something inside Jenny wouldn't let her show him any fear. He was the type of guy who looked on fear as an aphrodisiac. The smell of fear was more stimulating than any perfume could ever be.

"I think you're running from something."

"Running? Do I look like I'm running from something?"

She looked over at her brother. He was out cold. Whatever Patrick had given him, had knocked him out.

"Why did you do that to my brother?"

"He's the idiot who took off."

Patrick sat back, and the reflection of flames disappeared from his face and concentrated on his chest. But even in the shadows, Jenny could see his blue eyes. Impossibly bright and illuminated, Jenny could see them as he looked her over. This was all a game to him. While he and Fin waited out whatever it was that they did, he was using Jenny and her brother as toys.

She was safe as long as she played along. If Patrick grew bored, if he wasn't challenged enough, things could go from merely dangerous to deadly.

"What did you give Jeremy?"

"Some magic beans," Patrick laughed. He lifted his knife up and watched the light play on the blade. "Oxycotin."

"Pain medicine?"

He nodded. "You're welcome."

"Why do you need it?"

Patrick bit his lip and shook his head.

"Man, you are too much. Some where a Sunny brook farm is missing its Rebecca." He lowered the knife and looked at her. "I procure medicines for others. Fifty to a hundred a pop."

"People take this stuff to get high?"

"Man, nothing gets by you," he laughed

She picked up the log and carried it closer to the fireplace. "We're going to run out soon."

"So go get some."

She let her gaze go to the kitchen. The door that led to freedom was only twenty feet away. Without waiting for Patrick to change his mind, Jen grabbed her coat off the peg by the door and pulled on her boots.

"It's going to take me some time. The snows pretty thick and I can only carry a few pieces of wood at a time."

Patrick didn't bother to look at her. His eyes were on Jeremy.

"If it takes too long, Jenny, you're little brother is in for a rude awakening." He said no more, just let her go out the door. But then he didn't need to. Any crazy notion of running for help ended almost before it began.


As breathtakingly beautiful as the falling snow was, she knew it meant a far worse scenario than just being snowed in. It meant being snowed in with the Shay brothers.

Patrick was the most dangerous of the two. He was taller than Fin by a couple of inches, and he had the hard muscles that didn't come from a gym. There was a coldness about him, like none Jenny had ever encountered before.

Fin was thin, nervous by the looks of his fingernails. He was eager to please his brother and said little.

The wind bit at her cheeks and the snow was deep enough to fall inside her boots. If it continued to fall at this pace, there was no way they would be able to leave.

The snow pulled at her boots, making progress slow. She carried the wood to the porch, each trip taking longer and longer. Her legs were burning and the cold air made breathing painful. She was so tired. What time had she been roused from her sleep? It felt like she's been awake for days.

She listened to the crackle of the tree branches as they shifted under the weight of the snow. She listened for Jeremy, wondering how long Patrick would give her before he tortured her brother.

She shivered as she pushed the back door open. The split wood dropped to the floor with a thud.

"Took you an awful long time to get that little bit of wood." Patrick turned the kitchen light on and reached down to pick up a piece of fallen wood. He stood up, entirely too close to her. He was scruffy looking to say the least. His dark hair was dirty and shaggy. His face was covered in three days worth of stubble. The smell of sweat and aftershave assaulted her nose.

"You can do it next time," she said, her voice low and tight.

He smiled. Those crystal blue eyes that looked like they could cut glass, glittered with amusement. "Jenny Burns, I'm starting to think that you don't like me."

Jenny said nothing. She tried to step around him, but he blocked her.

"Whoa, where you going?" he asked. He liked this. He liked to make her flinch.

She wanted to smack him, kick him, somehow hurt him. But she couldn't. Because of Jeremy. With Jeremy lying there broken, she stood no chance of getting away.

To be continued ...